PowerDesk 1.1 README File This README file contains the following information: 1) Purchase PowerDesk 2) Contact MicroHelp 3) Notices 4) Quick View and Quick View Plus 5) Undocumented Features 6) Issues and Workarounds 7) PowerDesk SDK --------------------------------------------- 1) Purchase PowerDesk You can purchase the complete version of PowerDesk for only $44.95, plus Shipping and Handling. Call 1-800-922-3383 or (770) 516-0899 to order your copy of PowerDesk. You may also send the PowerDesk Order form to MicroHelp. The Order form is located in your PowerDesk folder and can be accessed via the PowerDesk Start Menu. (The Order form filename is ORDER.DOC and is normally placed in C:\Program Files\PowerDesk as a default). PowerDesk is also available from your favorite retailer. 2) Contact MicroHelp MicroHelp, Inc. 4211 J.V.L. Industrial Park Drive Marietta, GA 30066 - USA Sales: 1-800-922-3383 or (770) 516-0899 Fax: (770) 516-1099 Email: sales@microhelp.com Web Site: www.microhelp.com Compuserve: GO MICROHELP BBS: (770) 516-1497 3) Notices a) PowerDesk is designed exclusively for the Windows 95 desktop User Interface. Windows NT, version 3.51, does not support the Windows 95 desktop User Interface; therefore PowerDesk will not run on Windows NT 3.51. b) Quick View, a Windows 95 component, or Quick View Plus, an Inso Corporation product, are required for the ExplorerPlus Viewer Pane tool. See details under "Quick View and Quick View Plus" below. 4) Quick View and Quick View Plus Quick View is a component of Windows 95 and is required for using the ExplorerPlus Viewer Pane. This component is not provided on the Windows 95 disk set; it is only included on the Windows 95 CD-ROM (both upgrade and full product). Note: The Quick View component is not part of the default setup configuration for Windows 95 and needs to be installed as an Accessory. To install Quick View from the CD-ROM, choose Settings in the Windows 95 Start menu. Select Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. Click on the Windows Setup Tab and select Accessories. Scroll through the list to find Quick View, select Quick View by clicking in the box and click OK. If you do not have Windows 95 on CD-ROM, you can download the component from the Microsoft on-line services via CIS, Internet or the BBS. Quick View Plus is an enhanced version of the Windows 95 Quick View component. It is fully compatible with ExplorerPlus and enhances the capability of the ExplorerPlus Viewer Pane. Quick View Plus does not require that Quick View be installed in order to run; it actually replaces or can be used in place of Quick View. To order Quick View Plus, or for more information on this product, please review the Help topic "Upgrading Viewer Files". 5) Undocumented Features a) Canceling a ZIP operation (ExplorerPlus) A zip or compression can be canceled by pressing ESC, the backspace key or the spacebar. b) Associating ZIP archives with ExplorerPlus PowerDesk ExplorerPlus allows you to easily open, view and manage ZIP archive files. You will have the option at Setup to automatically associate ZIP archives with ExplorerPlus. If you say Yes to this option, a double click on a ZIP archive will open the file with ExplorerPlus. This feature also adds an additional item to the right mouse popup menu: Copy To/Move To and Zip To for standard files or Zip To and Add to Zip for ZIP archive files. c) Changing Associations (ExplorerPlus) PowerDesk ExplorerPlus provides an Open With dialog under the File menu that allows you to create or change associations for individual files. d) "Send To" options (ExplorerPlus) Windows 95 add-on features for the "Send To" right mouse popup are supported and will be displayed. e) System Monitor Alarms (Toolbar) Alarms may be set for the following System Monitors: Free Memory, Free System Resources, Free User resources, Free GDI Resources, Free Space on Disk x. When the type of System Monitor is selected in the Properties Dialog, an Alarm tab will appear and you may set the parameters for the alarm. f) Version 1.1 Release Notes Many new features have been added to PowerDesk. The Release Notes for PowerDesk 1.1 are posted on the Web site (microhelp.com), CIS Forum (GO MICROHELP), and the BBS (770/516-1497). They were not embedded in this copy of the software to conserve download time. 6) Issues and Workarounds a) Editing ZIP Files in the Viewer Pane (ExplorerPlus) A zip file may be viewed in the Viewer Pane and a right click in the Viewer Pane provides an Open option. While this action allows you to edit and make changes to the file, it does not allow you to save the changes. This is because the file you are looking at is really a temp file; if you choose to edit in this mode it will be necessary to Cut/Copy and Paste your changes to a new file in order to save the edits. b) Folders Stuck in Open (-) Position (ExplorerPlus) If a folder seems to get stuck in an open position with a constant minus (-) sign, pressing F5 will refresh the screen and correct the folder status display. c) Long File Name Folders on a Network (ExplorerPlus) ExplorerPlus constantly monitors open drives and folders to recognize changes and refresh the screen appropriately. Open folders with long filenames on a network drive use considerable resources to handle the monitoring. To optimize performance and reduce the impact on system resources, have these folders open only when necessary. d) MultiView and Cascade or Tile Horizontally/Vertically from ExplorerPlus (Toolbar) MultiView allows you to have applications opened in a series of virtual screens. When the applications in each MultiView screen are maximized and ExplorerPlus is opened, a Window selection in ExplorerPlus of New + Cascade, New + Tile Horizontally or New + Tile Vertically, will grab all open applications and place them on the current desktop in a normalized view. This effect pulls all applications out of the individual MultiView screens. Maximizing each application will put the application back into its respective MultiView screen. When working with MultiView it is recommended that you do not use the ExplorerPlus New + Cascade/Tile functions. e) MultiView and Cascade or Tile Horizontally/Vertically from the Taskbar (Toolbar) MultiView allows you to have applications opened in a series of virtual screens. When you right click on the Taskbar and choose Cascade, Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically, Windows 95 will grab all open applications and place them on the desktop as specified. This effect pulls all applications out of the individual MultiView screens. When working with MultiView it is recommended that you do not use the system wide Cascade or Tile functions. 7) SDK The PowerDesk Software Development Kit (SDK) allows C and C++ programmers to develop Tools for use in PowerDesk Toolbars. The extensibility of PowerDesk Toolbar through the use of the SDK greatly enhances the functionality that you can make available to Toolbar users. The SDK can be used with any Windows C or C++ compiler. A programmer using the SDK should be familiar with Windows programming and should have the Win 95 SDK as well. The samples provided with the SDK are a good template for the creation of your own Tools. The SDK has free Technical Support via E-mail or FAX. The Technical Support help desk will not answer questions over the phone but will refer callers to the use of E-mail or FAX. An answer will be returned to users via E-mail, FAX or by telephone, depending on the nature of the question and response. The PowerDesk SDK is available on the MicroHelp BBS, Web site or CIS at no charge.